


Arkham Asylum: A Caged Bird

by EmberandShadow



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Arkham!Os, M/M, Nygmobblepot, Very angst, have i gotten better at tagging yet?, probably not, very sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-03 17:18:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6619498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberandShadow/pseuds/EmberandShadow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ed goes to visit Oswald in Arkham</p>
            </blockquote>





	Arkham Asylum: A Caged Bird

Edward approached the large, ominous gates of Arkham with nerves swimming in his stomach. For all the horror stories he’d read taking place in an asylum none of them could compare to the dark feeling he gets when passing through those gates, nothing compares to the slight fear he feels when the staff eyes him, as if looking _through_ him, as if they could see what’s going on in his mind. He feels shivers down his spine as he walks down the eerily silent halls, knowing that the eyes of the inmates are all on him.

He begins to regret his decision to come here. He’d managed to spend two weeks away from Oswald but the loneliness had begun to eat away at him and he knew he couldn’t stay away any longer. He’d fought with himself on the ride over, trying to convince himself that this was right, that it was _safe._ No one at the GCPD would be watching him and therefore would not follow him to Arkham which meant no one would discover his soft spot for the former King of Gotham. But the nagging paranoia still clawed at him, maybe even more now. He was scared for Oswald. He didn’t know how his dear friend was fairing in this kind of environment, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. But he was here now, and his heart longed to see him. And the heart cannot be ignored.

The orderly leading him to the cafeteria stops suddenly, causing Ed to almost run into her back. He didn’t know if it was normal for visitors to be in the cafeteria with the rest of the inmates, but he didn’t question it when the woman said that’s where he’d be meeting with Oswald. He didn’t care if it wasn’t safe, he just wanted to see his friend again. He looks up through the sturdy chain-link gate that separates him from Oswald and spots his friend immediately.

His heart drops.

His breathing stops.

 _“Oswald.”_ The name is a sharp whisper filled with heartbreak.

The gate opens for him but he doesn’t move, he can’t seem to get his legs to move because there he is, Oswald- _his_ Oswald. Only it’s not. Because this Oswald looks so broken already. He stares blankly at a point on the wall across the room. It’s his eyes though, that really break Ed’s heart because his eyes are terrified, they portray a thousand memories of a thousand minutes of torture and Ed almost breaks down right there.

He makes his legs move, he makes himself walk toward Oswald but he feels broken inside. His heart has shattered and seeing him like this is almost more heartbreaking than being without him. This isn’t right, he doesn’t _deserve_ this. He should be running the joint, playing his cards carefully to manipulate the staff and convincing them he’s sane and no longer a danger to the city. He shouldn’t be like _this,_ like a shell of his former self.

Ed sits down across from Oswald and smiles gently at him. He doesn’t even seem to notice Ed’s presence.

“Oswald?” Ed asks softly.

He blinks, finally registering the fact that someone is sitting with him at the table.

“Ed? What are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.” Ed says.

“What for?” 

“I was worried about you.” He wants to reach out so bad, to take Oswald’s hand but he doesn’t know how this version of Oswald will react so he refrains.

“Why would you be worried?” Oswald asks.

“Because you’re in a mental hospital. Why wouldn’t I worry for you?”

“Well, you needn’t worry, my friend.  They’re treating me well here.” He twitches when he says it, like they’ve brainwashed him to think one way and his true feelings are trying to get out.

“Oswald, what are they doing to you here?” Ed’s beginning to worry, “If they’re hurting you-”

“I’m fine, Ed, really. It’s just therapy.” He twitches again.

Ed narrows his eyes. He knows something is up, something is happening in Arkham and he needs to find out. A rage starts to build in his stomach at the thought of them hurting his Oswald. He gets up and moves to the other side of the table to sit next to Oswald, glancing at the orderly watching them. She glares but doesn’t move. Ed turns Oswald toward him and cups his hands around his face.

“Oswald, if they’re doing something to you I need to know.” Ed insists in a whisper.

Oswald glances around before leaning, wrapping his arms around Ed. Ed welcomes the embrace and pulls the smaller man closer to him, noticing with a pang that he’s gotten thinner. Oswald holds him tight.

“Help me, Ed. What they’re doing in here, it’s _torture._ ” The shake in Oswald’s voice breaks Ed’s heart further and his eyes start watering.

He pulls away, pressing their foreheads together. “I’ll get you out of here, Ossie, I swear.”

He doesn’t notice the orderlies around them until one of them has their arms around Oswald and is pulling him away and another takes Ed’s arm and hauls him up, dragging him back the way he came.

“Ed!” Oswald calls to him with such heartbreak in his voice.

Ed tries to yank his arm out of the mans grip but that only results in another man coming over to grip his other arm and help drag him away.

“Sir, you need to leave.” The woman from before says.

Ed growls, trying to turn to see Oswald, struggling against the arms holding him back because he needs to see Oswald one last time before he’s thrown out, he needs to tell him he loves him one final time because if he doesn’t he might never get another chance to.

They throw him behind the gate and close it, releasing him from their grip. Ed turns and grips the gate as Oswald breaks free and runs as fast as he can with his injured leg toward Ed. Ed curses the gate between them because at this point he just wants to pull Oswald to him and never let go.

“I love you.” It’s the only thing Ed can do but it doesn’t feel like enough, he doesn’t feel like it’s enough to restore Oswald’s faith in him.

“I love you too, Eddie.” And then Oswald’s torn away from him, carried away screaming.

“Mr. Nygma,” The woman says, “You really need to leave now.”

Ed just nods as he turns and walks quickly out of that horrible building and toward those terrifying gates.

Tears. They flow freely down his cheeks now as he feels his heart being ripped entirely from his chest, each shattered piece being tugged through his throat, bleeding out of his esophagus as he stumbles into his car. He shouldn’t have come. The pain of loneliness is nothing compared to the pain of seeing Oswald in such a terrible place in such a horrible state. He takes a deep breath as he turns the key and starts his car, leaving Arkham behind. He resolves halfway home that he’s going to get Oswald out of there, whatever it takes, he’s going to get his friend back one way or another.

**Author's Note:**

> So many of you wanted Arkham fics so here's one out of three that will be coming at some point <3


End file.
